Thanks, Draco
by Abinikai
Summary: SLASH. HD. Harry is going through a tough time, and none of his friends can help. Draco unwittingly helps him out.


Title: Thanks, Draco  
  
Part: 1/1  
  
Author: Not_Daves_Sister, otherwise known as Abinikai  
  
Fanfiction: Harry Potter  
  
Spoilers: None, I don't think. Correct me if I'm wrong!  
  
Rating: Um, better put it R, just to be safe.  
  
Disclaimer: No, sadly I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making money off of it. If I was, I would be rich beyond belief, and I would not be reduced to writing fanfics to pass the time!  
  
Notes: Okay, I am coming out of lurk-dom. This is not my first fanfic, but it is my first Harry Potter fanfic. So, please, I would love constructive- criticism, though if you flame me, I will kill. Oh, and feedback is always appreciated. Matter-of-fact, it is much loved! So please, tell me what you think! Now, on to the story!  
  
***  
  
Harry knew they wouldn't understand. It's not like any of them had ever experienced it before. His innocence was lost, and no one knew it but him. When Harry arrived back at Hogwarts, he was a different person. It wasn't that he had changed physically-he was still pretty much the same. But what he had gone through, that had changed him. It had changed him so much that he thought he could never go back.  
  
"Harry, what's wrong?" asked Ron, finally noticing that Harry wasn't the same. Hermione had noticed, but she had decided not to ask until Ron got it through his thick head that something was wrong.  
  
"Nothing." Harry turned away. He hadn't talked much on the train ride. Hermione guessed by his thin appearance that he hadn't been eating well either. "Nothing at all."  
  
"Harry, we know something's wrong," said Hermione, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder. He shook it off.  
  
Harry turned towards Hermione with an icy glare in his eyes. "Nothing that you would understand. I don't want to talk about it."  
  
Ron tried to press the matter, but Hermione stopped him. If Harry wanted to tell, he would tell in his own time.  
  
***  
  
The next few months passed the same as on the bus. Harry was cold to Hermione and Ron, as well as anyone else. He ignored Draco's taunts, to the point where Draco just stopped teasing him. Hermione noticed that he excelled more in class, like learning the spells could help him. Sometimes he even knew more than her. And he was always staring off into the distance when he had nothing to do, when he thought no one was watching. Like remembering something horrible.  
  
Harry started to grow further away from his friends. Whenever someone asked what was wrong, he pulled on a mask that no one could penetrate. No one knew what was wrong, and people just stopped asking him about it.  
  
***  
  
Draco was wandering around the grounds at night, even though he knew it was breaking the rules. What was the point of being in Slytherin in the first place if you weren't going to break the rules? Draco rounded a corner and stopped dead in his tracks.  
  
There was Potter, poor, pitiful Potter. He was sitting on a window sill in one of the towers, staring out into the night sky. Hedwig was perched on his knees, which were drawn close to his chest, and was nibbling his ear, as if trying to comfort him.  
  
Draco stood there, entranced. He knew he shouldn't be spying on Potter, that he should just go back to his room, but he couldn't seem to remember how to make his legs work. After a little while, Harry sent Hedwig away. He stood up and turned to leave, and suddenly saw Draco.  
  
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry's voice was cold. What looked like a tear was quickly brushed away from his voice.  
  
"Just leaving. What are you doing here, anyways?"  
  
"None of your business. Now leave."  
  
"Potter, I'm not the one to care, but you're not acting like you."  
  
"And you wouldn't be either if-" Harry stopped. He couldn't go on.  
  
"If what?" asked Malfoy, now intrigued.  
  
The two stood in silence for what seemed like eternity. Harry was looking at his shoes, and Draco was looking at Harry. Draco was about to leave, when Harry spoke again. "Have you ever been raped?" Draco stood there stunned. Then he shook his head.  
  
"Oh." Harry sat back on his window sill. "It's bad. They come at you, get you alone. Draw you into a dark place." Harry stopped. He looked back at Draco to see if he was listening. Draco was.  
  
"They bind you, usually with a spell. They put up a Silencing charm. Then they put up an invisibility wall, as well as a spell to make people uninterested in coming there. That way, everyone looks away. No one can see you, or hear you call for help. It's useless." Harry paused again, tears in his eyes. "You scream anyways. I don't care who you are, you scream."  
  
Harry slammed his fist into the wall. "Then they get your clothes off. It doesn't matter how. Ripped, charmed-the clothes are off in the end. Then the fuck you. Hard. They don't care if they hurt you, or who you are, as long as the get it out." Harry sat back down and hung his head, almost in defeat. When he looked back up, there was hate in his eyes. "Then they kick you. Anywhere their boot can reach. The kick you, when your down, so that you can't get up again."  
  
Harry stood up and walked over towards Draco. He stood, an inch away from Draco's face. Draco was breathing hard. Why was Potter telling him, of all people, this? "Then they pick you up. They shove their dick in your face, and they make you suck it. You cry, it doesn't matter who you are. Outside, you can see the homeless man beg for change. It starts to rain. A little girl walks by, begging her Mother to pick her up. None of them see it. None. And if they did, they wouldn't help. Because it's over, and you're left, without a charm to shield you from prying eyes. Without clothes, without money. You're left."  
  
Harry turned away once again. Draco almost missed the presence of Harry's body, but he dismissed it as pity for the guy. "Everyone looks at you as if you're a horror. A monster."  
  
Harry turned back to Draco, wand out. For a moment, Draco thought Potter was going to curse him, but then Potter cast a charm on him self. Bruises showed up all over his body, along with other cuts. His clothes were reduced to rags. The image lasted a moment, but it was longer than Draco needed to know that it was bad, and to remember it the rest of his life. "You look like a monster, in the end. And no one understands, or stays long enough in your sight to find out what's wrong. Even the homeless shy away from the sight of you. It never leaves you, what happens. Never."  
  
Harry sat down, finally unable to take t anymore. He started to cry, unable to hold back the tears that needed to come. Harry drew his knees up to his chest and laid his head down, and cried his heart out. Draco had never seen Harry cry before. It was quite disturbing.  
  
"I lied." The sound startled Harry. "I lied. My father-he raped me once, when I was young." Draco let his mask, the one he had been wearing for the past few years, fall. "My mother was gone, he was angry with me. He beat me after, made me promise not to tell. I hated it. I still think of it, every so often." Draco laid a hesitant hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry let it stay there. "If you immerse yourself with people, force yourself not to think of it, eventually the memory becomes distant."  
  
"But they wouldn't understand. It's not like they've experienced it. It would be all pity, no understanding." Harry's voice was barely a whisper.  
  
"I know. That's why you don't tell. Not anyone. You just live with it, and try your best to forget about it." Harry would be surprised at Draco being remotely familiar, until he heard Draco's next remark. "Get over it, Potter. You really should be more like a Slytherin." Draco stood up and made to leave, but didn't get to the corner.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Draco looked over his shoulder and gave him a smile. Not the customary smirk, mind you, but a true, beautiful smile. "No problem, Potter."  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Harry tried his hardest to be his old self again. He smiled, and tried to act interested in the conversations. It was hard, but eventually he felt himself getting more and more used to it. He was smiling more, and even laughing a little.  
  
When Harry saw Draco, he gave him a slight nod. Draco didn't acknowledge it, even though Harry knew Draco saw it. Draco just turned away.  
  
Later that evening, Harry was back in the room he was in that night. He didn't expect Draco to be there, but he went anyways. He sat there for a long while, long after he was supposed to be in bed. He was startled when Draco spoke behind him.  
  
"I see you took my advice, Potter," he drawled.  
  
"I tried."  
  
"You did pretty well."  
  
"Thanks, Draco. You helped."  
  
"You wanna repay me?" Harry turned, not knowing what Draco meant. He wasn't expected for what happened next. Draco came up to Harry quickly, and before Harry could respond, kissed him on the lips. It wasn't a long kiss, just quick and to the point. "Don't thank me." Draco turned to leave.  
  
"What was that?" asked Harry when he found his voice, before Draco could leave.  
  
"I wanted a kiss. I've been thinking about it for a while. I don't know. I get what I want, even if it's stupid." Draco gave his customary smirk, and left.  
  
Harry ran after him. He didn't know what he was doing, or why he was doing it, but he turned Draco around to face him. "If you're gonna kiss me, do it right." Harry put his hand on Draco's cheek and kissed Draco. After the initial shock, Draco kissed back. Harry's mouth was warm, and tasted slightly of chocolate. All too soon, Draco felt, Harry pulled away. "That, Malfoy, was a proper kiss."  
  
Draco was too stunned to reply. After a moment, his body still touching Harry's, Draco managed to reply, "Thanks for setting my books straight, Potter." Harry pulled away, and walked back to his dormitory. This time, Draco was sure that he missed the warmth of Harry's body. 


End file.
